An edition of Alchemy of the word (2011)

Alchemy of the word

writers talk about writing

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Last edited by ImportBot
December 7, 2022 | History
An edition of Alchemy of the word (2011)

Alchemy of the word

writers talk about writing

A book like no other, from a writing program like no other. In this remarkable collection of essays, twenty-five acclaimed novelists, poets, playwrights, memoirists, cross-genre and nonfiction writers engage the reader in a virtual literary conversation, filled with passion, insight, wit, and warmth. The Goddard MFA was the first low-residency program in creative writing; now there are around fifty operating in the United States. Program Director, Paul Selig says, "What greeted me at my first Goddard residency was the kind of community I had never dreamed possible ... the faculty-well, they were teachers of the first order, and I found their dedication to shepherding a new generation of writers came from a place of deep generosity, wisdom and integrity." Alchemy of the Word introduces you to this faculty-not through their writing tips, tricks, and exercises, but through their experiences of themselves as professional writers living in the world, tackling issues they care about deeply and reporting back. To read this anthology is to travel to the wellsprings of literary inspiration, and to eavesdrop on a room full of mentors. Words become us. Our lives become words. So begins the introduction to this powerful collection. The essays that follow are eclectic and range from the practical to the mystical, the humorous to the scientific, and the political to the personal. Throughout, each essay explores, exhorts, inspires, and exhilarates ... illustrating in its own distinctive way the transformative power of language: the alchemy of the word. -- taken from publisher website.

Publish Date
Language
English
Pages
239

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Previews available in: English

Edition Availability
Cover of: Alchemy of the word
Alchemy of the word: writers talk about writing
2011, California Institute of Arts and Letters, Coimbra Editions
in English

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Book Details


Table of Contents

I. The spirit of the thing. Writing the silence / Reiko Rizzuto
Drawing the line somewhere / Richard Panek
What's held inside / Elena Georgiou
Dear writer / Kyle Bass
II. Composing the wilderness. The freak in all of us (or the importance of creating a map) / Rogelio Martinez
Mapping the dark world / Bhanu Kapil
Composing the wilderness / Ryan Boudinot
Inside the seismograph / Beatrix Gates
Beast, beauty, beloved / Aimee Liu
III. Aesthetic ambition. Reading at the bottom of the world / Victoria Nelson
Failure : an appreciation / Rebecca Brown
What we talk about when we talk about "aesthetic ambition" / Neil Landau
Playing by ear / Michael Klein
IV. Originality and influence. Originality and creativity : children of Beowulf and Trimalchio / Jeanne Mackin
Originality and influence / Jane Wohl
Writing against canon, writing against cliché : Creating a canon, becoming a cliché / Kenny Fries
Beware of others / Susan Kim
V. Form and content. Finding my range : form for my father / Kyle Bass
Form and content / Rachel Pollack
Text and subtext / Susan Kim
Would I land / Douglas A. Martin
VI. Points of view. Does a planet have a point of view / Jan Clausen
Some short thoughts on point of view via three poems / Juliana Spahr
Looking in the Jonathan Mirror / Deborah Brevoort
A brief history of anymore / Neil Landau
Dr. Edie gives a commencement speech / Paul Selig
VII. Writing community. Why I read / Elena Georgiou
Everything is free now / John McManus
Crossing the line : language, lives, stories / Juliana Spahr
Throwing the book / Nicola Morris
VIII. Literary activism. On literary activism / Deborah Brevoort
I know how it ends / Michael Klein
Outnumbering the dead / John McManus.

Edition Notes

Published in
San Francisco

Classifications

Library of Congress
PN165 .A4 2011

The Physical Object

Pagination
xvi, 239
Number of pages
239

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL37824176M
Internet Archive
alchemyofwordwri0000unse
ISBN 10
0982655649
ISBN 13
9780982655641
OCLC/WorldCat
770706774

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Download catalog record: RDF / JSON / OPDS | Wikipedia citation
December 7, 2022 Edited by ImportBot import existing book
April 20, 2022 Created by ImportBot Imported from Internet Archive item record